First Great War
The First Great War was an all-out war between the factions under the White Council and the factions of the Dark Alliance. Its origins lie in the planned "War of Retribution" that the Dwarven Lords' Council was planning against Dol Guldur, Angmar, Gundabad, and Mordor in revenge for numerous massacres across the dwarven lands, especially the Grey Mountains. While the war rules were still being labored on by both sides, the King of the Grey Mountains declared the war as encompassing the entirety of Middle-Earth, with every faction involved, and created a more streamlined rules set. War was declared on the thirteenth of July, 2015. The war blazed on for weeks, with the Dark Alliance taking the upper hand at first, but with the war eventually boiling down to a draw. The war ended on the tenth of August, 2015, when King Fundin II Dwalinul of Khazad-dûm and War Chief Nagithas the Indomitable of Gundabad agreed that the war had no point any longer. Officially the war was a stalemate, though Gundabad ultimately was able to claim the dwarven city of Mount Gram and, through the deal that ended the war, half of Moria. Outcome: Stalemate (Dark Alliance wins 4, White Council wins 1, 2 called off) History Note: Though this section is adapted for lore and roleplay use, it is actually pretty accurate, save for the deal that ended the war, which is described in a different section. Prelude Though few knew it at the time of the war itself, the Great War was the result of the scheming of the Gundabad War Chief Nagithas the Indomitable (Grievous1138). The exiled ruler of the Orcs of Moria had spent the year since the dwarves retook Khazad-dûm plotting their destruction, and since his return to Mount Caradhras he had been preparing for war. After swelling the armies of Caradhras by combining the escaped Moria Orcs with Gombar the Black's (SirWilsonGS) sizeable army, he brought Gundabad to strength that the faction had not seen in a long while. When he felt Gundabad's strength was sufficient, he secretly met with a variety of faction leaders, among them the Nazgûl of Dol Guldur: Khamûl (LordKhamul), Indûr (Lord_Witch_King), and Ûvatha (General_Uvatha). Gradually, he convinced nearly all of the factions in the Dark Alliance to help him crush the Dwarves of Moria. When it was clear that all was ready, the Nazgûl of Dol Guldur began to unleash assaults on the dwarven stronghold of Dáin's Halls in the Grey Mountains. Bands of raider-orcs set out from Dol Guldur, Mount Caradhras, and Mount Gundabad to attack and kill dwarven traders and warriors. They drove the dwarves out of the city of Framsburg and killed many in surgical strikes on Dáin's Halls. When Nagithas caught wind of this he goaded the Nazgûl on, and even was present for one such attack. The Dwarven Lords' Council was furious. All seven dwarven kings decided that action needed to be taken. They declared a War of Retribution on Gundabad and Dol Guldur, who were joined by nearly all of the factions of the Dark Alliance. The entire Dwarven Empire mobilized for war, and were joined by a plethora of factions with leaders on the White Council. It was all going according to plan. The First Great War, the largest conflict in recent history, had begun. The Southern Theater The Dwarves did not waste time. Nearly immediately, the Dwarven Lord Gimli (_Gimli_) led an assault with Lord Ragna (Lord_Ragna) with a large army of dwarves from Mount Gram and Mount Methedras to attack Isengard, aided by men out of Rohan and Gondor. Lord Saruman (Joetatoe) and the Uruk-hai were more than prepared. Though the dwarves had slightly greater numbers, they were shattered against the walls of Isengard. Saruman, Captain Dorguz (SpadeCompany) and Lieutenant Ghâsh (Ghash_Max) killed dozens of dwarven warriors each, and the dwarven leaders of the assault barely escaped with their lives to Methedras. The gates of Isengard were open, as Saruman sought to lure the dwarves into countless traps within; but none of the enemy even managed to reach the gate, never mind the traps. Isengard routed the dwarves and their allies, and Methedras was so depleted that they never truly recovered, and played no major role in the rest of the war. The Isengarders suffered few casualties, and as such Saruman was able to leave north with a sizeable Uruk army in pursuit of Gimli's remaining dwarves, to fight in the Northern Theater with Gundabad to drive them out of Mount Gram. While Lord Saruman was fighting in the North, the Men of Gondor planned an attack on Ghashtiri, an isolated Uruk fort in central Gondor. Lieutenant Ghâsh of Isengard led a garrison of Uruk-hai in defense against the disorganized assault, which was quickly dispersed. The victorious Ghâsh led his soldiers forth in a number of skirmishes across Gondor, killing many Gondorians and wreaking havoc across the south. When Saruman returned, the Uruk-hai of Isengard and the Men of Gondor were arming for a great battle at Osgiliath, the capital city of Gondor. King Atanvarno (Atanvarno) of Gondor rallied a massive force of Gondorians and Dwarves, in preparation for the assault. Saruman, too, prepared a great army, as the Dark Lord Sauron of Mordor (Morishi) rallied his own army in secret in the east. The bulk of the Dark Alliance armies sent their best fighters to Isengard and Minas Morgul in preparation, and the White Council's armies crowded into Osgiliath for what seemed would be a decisive final battle. But at the eleventh hour, word came that the assault had been called off: Lord Saruman had fallen ill, and could not lead his armies, and as such the fighters on both sides dispersed. The Northern Theater As the Uruks of Isengard fought the dwarves in the south, War Chief Ongdagul the Vaulted (Iluvatars_Bane) of Gundabad was preparing to crush them in the north. For days he and War Chief Nagithas the Indomitable planned an assault in Mount Gundabad upon the dwarven stronghold of Mount Gram. Mount Gram was the strongest fortress of the Dwarves of Dúrin's City, and was made from a captured orc fortress of great repute. They were joined by War Chief Morghâsh IV, the son of Golfimbul, who had been driven out by the dwarves a year prior. As the orcs of Gundabad and Angmar mustered in the northern vales below the mountain, they were joined by Lord Saruman of Isengard and a force of Uruk-hai. When their forces were joined, they attacked. The Battle of Mount Gram was bloody. The dwarves, led by Lord Gimli, were caught by surprise, and before the dwarven armies could be rallied the Orcs had gained the gate. The Uruks of Isengard and Orcs of Gundabad killed every single dwarf in the fortress with merciless fury. Mount Gram was damaged badly during the battle, but nonetheless was taken by Morghâsh to be the capital of his clan once more, a city of Gundabad. Many Dark Alliance leaders killed dozens of dwarves. Lord Saruman himself took up a sword, and with it took the head of Lord Gimli himself. The Dwarves of Dúrin's City were irreparably weakened in this battle, and months after the end of the war would be completely wiped out in a Gundabad strike. After the Battle of Mount Gram, Nagithas took his forces to meet Khamûl's army near Framsburg. They had planned for a surprise assault on Erebor, a dwarven capital city; but they received word that the Dwarves of Dáin's Halls were preparing to attack Barad-dûr. Khamûl departed to warn the Dark Lord, while Nagithas mustered a large Dark Alliance army at Framsburg in a hasty assault on Dáin's Halls. Though the Dwarves of the Grey Mountains and the force that had been gathered at Framsburg were of equal strength, the Dark Alliance soon had other problems: nearly every troll and warg in the force, alongside nine-tenths of the total orc forces, fell to their deaths off the cliffs along the road to Dáin's Halls. Nagithas too fell, and was nearly crushed by a falling troll. When the tattered forces of evil reached the dwarven city, they were slaughtered. Nagithas led the remaining forces back to Caradhras in retreat, but they had succeeded in the long run. The dwarven attack on Barad-dûr was prevented, and many Dwarves of the Grey Mountains had perished. A series of later attacks on Framsburg and Dáin's Halls killed nearly three-fourths of the entire Dwarven population in those mountains, and they have only recently recovered. The Dwarves were greatly angered by the loss of Mount Gram, and seeing Nagithas' defeat at Mount Gram, decided to attack his forces at Mount Caradhras. This was quickly proven to have been a bad idea: the only dwarves to fight were organized into a few scattered battalions from Moria and Dúrin's City, while Nagithas had a sizeable army that had constantly rehearsed his defensive strategy. Few Orcs died in the assault, which left no dwarf alive and reaffirmed Nagithas' tactical prowress. Nagithas decided that the time had come. After sending messages to the other leaders of the Dark Alliance, he rallied an army in preparation for an assault on the Great Gates of Moria in what seemed to be a Second Battle of Azanulbizar. The dwarves were alerted to their plans, and a massive force of dwarves and men gathered in the East Side of Khazad-dûm. Tensions grew as the orcs seized a strip of the northern Dimrill Dale and made a camp. But when the hour of battle came, the Dark Alliance had not shown. Due to various reasons, all were delayed, and the fighters returned to their homelands. Though minor skirmishes between the Orcs of Caradhras and the Dwarves of Moria occurred, the battle never happened. The End of the War After the stalemates at Azanulbizar and Osgiliath, the First Great War began to cool down. For two weeks, skirmishes and defensive buildups occurred in spots, but no further major battles occurred. At last, on August 10th, King Fundin II Dwalinul of Khazad-dûm (SpoangityBob), declared that the First Great War was over, and War Chief Nagithas the Indomitable did the same. Neither side claimed victory. Ultimately, the dwarves lost Mount Gram, and took heavy casualties in a number of battles. Their power would be reduced for months, and they have not since gone to war en masse. Not even two weeks after the war's end, something unexpected occurred. The miners of Nagithas refound an ancient tunnel from Caradhras to the Balrog Halls, their former capital in Moria. The Moria Orcs returned to their city, and in the months that followed the Moria Clan of Gundabad grew exponentially in strength, and captured many parts of Moria from within, including Fanuidhol, the Eastern Deeps, and the Troll-Caves. Due to the Great War the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm were unable to drive them out before they gained a foothold, and as such Moria is split between the Dwarves and Orcs to the present day. War Rules The following were decided upon as the rules for the Great War. #Only faction armor. Your armor can be enchanted in any way. #Weapons of any kind, and enchants allowed on the weapons as well. #Only type A sieges. Sieges may not occur in player bases, only cities. #Maximum 30 units per a player. Each Troll/Olog counts as three units. #Bombs are permitted as long as they aren't used to grief. #Brews and draughts of any kind can be used. #Don't break any rules. #Mithril Crossbows are not to be used. Participants The following factions fought during the war. The Dark Alliance * The Clans of Gundabad * Dol Guldur * Isengard * Mordor * Angmar (The Hillmen of Rhudaur declared neutrality) * Near Harad Key leaders on the Alliance's side include Saruman of Many Colors (Joetatoe), Captain Dorguz (SpadeCompany), and Lieutenant Ghâsh (Ghash_Max) of Isengard, Ongdagul the Vaulted (Iluvatars_Bane) and Nagithas the Indomitable (Grievous1138) of Gundabad, and the Nazgûl Khamûl (LordKhamul), Indûr (Lord_Witch_King), and Ûvatha (General_Uvatha) of Dol Guldur. The White Council * The Dwarven Empire * The Kingdom of Gondor * The Riders of Rohan * The Rangers of the North * The High-Elves * The Wood-Elves of Mirkwood Key leaders on the White Council include High King Azaghal (Squatch_Thunder), King Fundin II Dwalinul (SpoangityBob), King Dwarin (iwellner56), and King Aidansebastian (aidansebastian) of the Dwarves, and King Atanvarno of Gondor. Battles Siege of Isengard The opening battle of the conflict in which Isengard led the Dark Alliance fortresses in butchering the Dwarven enemy. Outcome: Decisive Dark Alliance victory Dark Alliance Commanders: Lord Saruman (Joetatoe) White Council Commanders: Lord Gimli (_Gimli_) Notable Fighters: Lord Saruman (Joetatoe), Captain Dorguz (SpadeCompany), Lieutenant Ghâsh (Ghash_Max), Lord Ragna (Lord_Ragna), Lord Gimli (_Gimli_) Battle of Mount Gram Following several skirmishes in the Misty Mountains, the Uruk-hai of Isengard and the Orcs of Gundabad attacked the dwarven base of Mount Gram and captured it, killing all inside, including the Lord Gimli. The base was claimed as a new city for Gundabad. (It should be noted that this is the only time in the server's history that a build was successful captured in a siege.) Outcome: Decisive Dark Alliance victory Dark Alliance Commanders: Lord Saruman (Joetatoe), War Chief Ongdagul (Iluvatars_Bane) White Council Commanders: Lord Gimli (_Gimli_) Notable Fighters: Lord Saruman (Joetatoe), War Chief Ongdagul (Iluvatars_Bane), War Chief Nagithas (Grievous1138), War Chief Morghâsh IV (Lord_Morghash_IV), Lieutenant Ghâsh (Ghash_Max), Lord Gimli (_Gimli_) Battle of Ghashtiri Reeling from the back to back losses of the war so far, combined forces of the High Elves and Gondor attempted to neutralize a prominent Uruk base in central Gondor, Fort Ghashiri. Several hosts gathered to attack the fort, but a piecemeal assault led to the destruction of the Good forces involved. Outcome: Decisive Dark Alliance victory Dark Alliance Commanders: Lieutenant Ghâsh (Ghash_Max) White Council Commanders: None (disorganized assault) Notable Fighters: Lieutenant Ghâsh (Ghash_Max) Siege of Dáin's Halls As Nagithas and Khamul prepared for an assault on Erebor, they caught wind of a planned attack on Barad-dûr in Mordor by the Dwarves of the Grey Mountains. Knowing the defenders of the tower would be outnumbered, they attacked Dáin's Halls in a haphazard attack. Nine-tenths of the Dark Alliance army was killed falling off the cliffs on the road to the build, and the remaining forces were quickly dispatched by the dwarves. While they lost the battle, the Dark Alliance forces succeeded in preventing the dwarves from attacking Barad-dûr. Outcome: Decisive White Council victory Dark Alliance Commanders: War Chief Nagithas (Grievous1138) White Council Commanders: King Aidansebastian (aidansebastian) Notable Fighters: War Chief Nagithas (Grievous1138), Lord Saruman (Joetatoe), Nazgûl Indûr (Lord_Witch_King), War Chief Ongdagul (Iluavatars_Bane), King Aidansebastian (aidansebastian), Celestia (Webskee) Third Battle of Caradhras Angered by the loss of Mount Gram and enheartened by the victory at Dáin's Halls, a small group of dwarves attacked Nagithas's army at Mount Caradhras. They were ill-prepared for the long-rehearsed defensive strategy of the Orcs of Caradhras, and were utterly destroyed to the last man. Outcome: Decisive Dark Alliance victory Dark Alliance Commanders: War Chief Nagithas (Grievous1138) White Council Commanders: None (disorganized assault) Notable Fighters: Captain Harag-nagh (helper1318), Lieutenant Morgo-lûk (Morgul_Lord), Warrior Dowshmu (dowshmu) Second Battle of Azanulbizar The Orcs of Caradhras, under Nagithas, prepared to attack the Dwarves of Moria as the endpoint to their campaign. Dwarves and Gondorians poured into the city to defend the Great Gates of Khazad-dûm, and the Dark Alliance prepared a great horde; but the Alliance forces were delayed and were ultimately unable to arrive in time, and the battle was called off. Outcome: Stalemate (Battle called off) Siege of Osgiliath Hyped on their string of victories, the forces of Evil declared they would brave the defenses of Osgiliath. On the day appointed, Good players and their armies flocked to the streets of western Osgiliath. The armies of evil massed at Minas Morgul and Isengard in turn, but on the day of battle called off the attack, for Lord Saruman had fallen ill. Outcome: Stalemate (Battle called off) The Moria Deal The agreement that ended the First Great War is confusing to many, as it has no formal text corresponding, though the results are fairly evident. The war was ended on 10 August 2015 by Grievous1138 and SpoangityBob. In addition, SpoangityBob took the opportunity to propose an additional deal to Grievous: the creation of a Gundabad Clan within Moria (it should be noted that this is separate from the end of the war, but is related nonetheless.) The core features of the deal are as follows: * The First Great War is ended as a stalemate. Gundabad and the Dwarven Clans will be at peace with each other, and neither will attack the other nor kill the players of the other without breaking the deal and restarting the war. Neither faction will aid allies in war against the other, but if both aid allies in the same war the deal is not broken unless action is directly taken against the other faction involved. * Gundabad keeps Mount Gram. The initial proposal for peace, as said by SpoangityBob, is as follows: * "I see you have dedicated an entire clan to making a home in Moria, and obviously this is yet to be obliged in some way shape or form. I have long desired for in later stages of Moria's construction for the lower deeps to contain orc warrens. It is with this in mind that I allowed Andries to continue working at Celebdil, and I would like to make it known that the lower deeps of Moria I have no plans for, so long as we have mine access in the 5th Deep (the lowest one). Once we get to a point of the main build where freelance projects would be a decent use of our time, I will construct a rough outline designed to be like dwarven ruins for you and yours to branch off of. There should probably also be a tunnel connecting to Caradhras at mithril level because under Caradhras is where the dwarves were digging for mithril when they discovered Durin's Bane. There will also be a mining tunnel to the 3-arched passage halfway across the mountains where the descending path will go north to Celebdil (for the Eternal Stair), while the flat one will go on to the 3rd Deep (market level) and the ascending one (that Gandalf took the Fellowship on to reach the Chamber of Mazarbul) will connect to the 7th Level (the highest). Iwould like to propose we end this silly war that has dragged on for two weeks longer than it should so that when the time comes we can come together in peace to make a Moria beneficial to everyone. As I understand it, you still had desire to make another siege happen. Instead we should set aside our arms, there is more than enough stone for all of us to carve." The response of Grievous1138 is as follows: * "This sounds good. I have some ideas for Moria as well; I just need to write them down in full. The war is not really mine to end any more, as it involves every faction in existence. I would, however, would like the Battle of Azanulbizar (or however it is spelt) to happen, just for the fun of it. Nonetheless, I have withdrawn the Orcs of Moria and the Orcs of Caradhras from the engagement. Goblin-Town and Mount Gram weren't in the war, and as such with Iluvatars's permission, Gundabad is withdrawn." So ended the Great War, and so began the construction of Orc Moria. Category:War Category:Server Events